[Elecraft] K3 as a kit

[Wayne Burdick]

Alexy,

When we first started designing the K3, we agonized over the question  
of whether to offer a "full" kit version -- one that required a lot of  
soldering. But it quickly became apparent that this was incompatible  
with other goals for the radio. We needed to use surface-mount devices  
throughout in order to meet performance, size, and weight goals. An  
all through-hole version, or even a "half-through-hole" version, would  
have been twice as large and simply too expensive to be a successful  
product.

Small kits using SMDs are great, and I highly recommend that anyone  
interested in surface-mount technology try their hand at building one.  
There are many SMD kit projects available from QRP clubs, etc.

But a kit with many hundreds of SMDs would be a support disaster. The  
parts are easy to lose, and hard for many people to install. Fine- 
pitch SMD ICs are a challenge to install even for very experienced  
builders with excellent equipment. Aligning and testing such a kit  
would require a lot of lab gear.

So we accepted the notion that a radio like the K3, as a kit, would  
require a higher level of integration. There was an existence proof  
for the utility of such kits: do-it-yourself PCs. Many companies offer  
modules that can be put together with a motherboard to create a  
computer with nearly any level of performance and features. There are  
probably hundreds of thousands of people who have built PCs this way,  
and clearly many of them enjoy doing so.

The K3 kit may lack solder, but it is still a very "hands-on"  
experience:

- there are hundreds of parts involved, including modules, controls,  
hardware, multi-part enclosure, etc.; the kit takes around 8 hours to  
complete

- the K3 has built-in test equipment that the builder learns about and  
uses as they go

- the builder becomes very aware of the various stages and modules  
needed to make a radio, and can delve further into the theory of  
operation or schematics if desired

- modifying or updating the K3 is easier once you've been through the  
experience

Up until the last minute, we worried that we might have a mutiny on  
our hands among "full-kit" devotees. But only two of them complained,  
at least publicly, so we breathed a huge sigh of relief. You now have  
the distinction of being #3 on my list of those who like the idea of  
building their own advanced radio completely from scratch, should we  
ever have the courage to explore that path :)

73,
Wayne
N6KR



On Mar 6, 2011, at 6:54 AM, Alexey Kats wrote:

> Thank you, I agree, the price of basic K3 is in the same range as of  
> loaded
> K2 (a bit more, but still comparable). The thing is I like to BUILD  
> stuff,
> and I always compare the cost of buying equipment against the fun of
> building it with my own two hands.
>
> So, when it comes down to cost-to-performance analysis - K3 wins  
> hands down.
> It's only when one tries to justify the "kit" form it starts making  
> little
> to no sense unless the only thing is saving the money part.